CHICAGO: Chicago soybeans and corn extended gains on Monday to hit multi-month highs as unfavourable heat and dryness in South America stoked supply worries.
Wheat also rose early in the session, bolstered by hopes for greater export demand, then slipped by mid-day on technical trading. Dealers said many market participants were still on vacation after the Christmas break, so relatively small trades were causing larger-than-usual price moves.
Chicago Board of Trade’s most-active soyabeans rose 1.96% to $13.67 a bushel by 1612 GMT, extending gains seen before Christmas and, in mid-day trading, hitting their highest since Aug. 17.
Corn rose 1.03% to $6.12 a bushel, hitting its highest since late June. Wheat was down 0.31% to $8.12-1/4 a bushel.
Soyabean and corn crop harvests are expected to be smaller in southern Brazil this season as fields are suffering from dryness, weather forecasters and consultancies said. “The weather pattern over South America is static and that system is now showing that there could be problems going into Argentina,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based US Commodities. “The question now is whether a La Nina weather pattern will continue to stress the crops.”
Meanwhile, China will stabilize its corn production and expand its soyabean output in 2022, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily quoted the agriculture minister as saying on Monday.
Wheat was supported by expectations of more demand, with a long-awaited tender from Iraq issued just before Christmas and new tenders seen possible from other buyers.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.